As Strong As You Are Free
by tomamazon
Summary: A grainy image flashed onto the monitor that stood alongside the doctor, a blur of black and white that made no logical sense to Draco, and he blinked at Harry's sudden change in posture. - HP/DM, established relationship post Hogwarts. Confused Draco in a Muggle setting - what more could you want? NO MPREG.


A/N: Inspired by a post on Tumblr that featured a super cute idea about Purebloods having no idea about Muggle ultrasounds. Hope you enjoy!

 _As Strong As You Are Free_

If Draco had to choose one thing that he hated about Harry bloody Potter, it had to be his boyish excitement about the most mundane of tasks. Funnily enough, if Draco had to choose one thing that he adored about Harry bloody Potter, it would be the same answer. There was something about the way his eyes glowed and his breath seemed to hitch in his throat when something had excited him that made Draco's belly flip in all sorts of ways. He had seen that face so many times – Potter was sometimes flustered about his favourite ice-cream at Fortescue's – but it still felt so intensely special to Draco regardless of how many times he'd seen it. He knew well enough that Harry's life had been littered with pain and heartache so his bursts of pure unadulterated happiness meant more to Draco than he was ever able to articulate.

This, however, was totally unacceptable. Potter was bounding around the house, his eyes wide open with a joy that made Draco's heart squeeze uncomfortably, exclaiming about a secret he was keeping from Draco. Draco's lips had fallen into a pout and his arms had crossed over his chest.

"You're hardly being fair about this, Potter." Draco whined and Potter's stupid eyes had lit up at the sound of his voice.

Harry smiled at him, running his fingers across Draco's cheek and tracing his jawline with his fingertips. "Potter now, am I?" he teased. His eyes searched Draco's face, dragging over his perfect skin and for a second, Harry was totally lost in how lucky he was. He reached Draco's pink lips and brushed a thumb over them. Leaning forward, he pressed a soft kiss to Draco's lips and smiled against them when he felt Draco relax underneath him. "It's not a _secret_ secret anyway. It's about Elizabeth."

Draco gasped, fear flooding his veins, and it felt like his whole world had crashed around him. When he and Harry had graduated from Hogwarts, they settled quickly into life with each other, neither even thinking about life without the other. They moved into a flat in Diagon Alley without any discussion – Harry had bought it without Draco knowing – but it just felt right for them both. It was as if they had known each other in a previous life, as if they had felt each other's skin with trembling hands before, a burning sense of familiarity that warmed their souls. The war hadn't been easy on either of them but they each had healing hands and kisses and that meant the world to both of them.

Harry had always been honest with Draco that having a family was important to him. He wanted something solid and secure that he had only experience in passing with the Weasley's, a sense of home and belonging that flowed in their blood as well as their hearts. Draco had grown up just as lonely as Harry, raised by house elves until he was old enough to ship off to Hogwarts, affection only shown to him through the purchase of the latest broomstick. It seemed like a natural progression for Draco and Harry to consider having a family together. He knew Harry had just so much love to give (Draco had been lucky enough to fill the tiniest part of Harry's heart) and it meant as much to Draco that they could start their lives together by raising a baby. Draco wanted what neither of them had growing up. However, as brilliant as the Wizarding World was, Draco knew that wizards couldn't bear children, so they were forced to explore other options. Part of Draco was inexplicably terrified – he wanted to think about having a baby whilst never thinking of having a baby all at the same time – because he didn't want to fuck any part of it up.

They pored over Muggle newspapers, circling adverts for women that Harry called 'surrogates'. Harry and Draco had visited hundreds of clinics, filling in countless forms that asked hundreds of intensely personal questions that Draco didn't understand. He curled his lips into his trademark sneer at questions asked about his own family and bloodline until Harry had squeezed his hand and his blood instantly felt calm again. After months of applying, the couple were eventually accepted into a Muggle surrogacy agency who matched them with Elizabeth. She was a beautiful girl. She had startlingly steel grey eyes that read Draco's soul and black, glossy hair that tumbled down her shoulders in tight curls. A tiny part of Draco had joked with himself that she looked like a by-product of Harry and Draco anyway so they might as well have adopted her. She was perfect for them both, with a kind heart that had quelled their fears about becoming a father for the first time.

Draco was pulled back down to earth by Harry's comforting hand on the small of his back. He rubbed tiny little circles on the skin underneath Draco's t-shirt, his rough thumb catching slightly on Draco's soft skin, and they both felt their heartbeats sync together as Draco calmed down. He shook his head and looked at Harry with frightened eyes. Harry smiled and kissed Draco's tiny ski-slope nose affectionately.

"Everything is fine, love. Don't look so worried," Harry muttered. He carried on rubbing his thumb in soothing circles and reached with his other hand to push a piece of Draco's hair away from his eyes. "She asked us if we want to go with her to the Muggle doctor."

Draco looked at him with a confused face. "Didn't she only see a doctor last week?"

"Muggles go more often than witches," Harry explained. "Just to check everything is okay with the baby." He paused with a soft look on his face. "Our baby."

Everything suddenly felt very special to Draco, as if he needed to remember every second of this. Harry was so very dear to him, even if his personality didn't always allow him to show it and this moment, with Harry's hand the small of his back and soft conversation about their baby in the air, Draco almost felt like he was going to weep.

* * *

On the morning of Elizabeth's hospital appointment, Harry and Draco had Apparated to a safe place near the University College Hospital. They were hidden from Muggles in a back alley and Draco was grateful for Harry's foresight as it allowed them a second to gather themselves. He found himself being kissed by Harry in a way he hadn't felt before – it was raw and needy like every other one of their kisses – but part of it felt like Harry had poured his whole heart and soul into kissing Draco. They squeezed each other's fingers in anticipation on the short walk to the hospital and met Elizabeth outside, their hands automatically flying to her slightly swollen belly.

Harry had gently warned Draco that Muggle doctors worked differently to the Healers he was used to. His prejudices about Muggles were long buried but Draco still felt anxious at the thought of Muggle doctors caring for their baby. His main fear stemmed from Muggle doctors not being able to cast any charms on their baby if anything went wrong but he kept that fear to himself, never daring to tell Harry. Hospitals gave Draco the chills regardless of whether magic was used there or not. Muggle hospitals smelt like chemicals and badly prepared food, the stench ingrained in the plaster on their walls. The corridors felt sad and despite the occasional over the top greeting from Muggle nurses that Harry returned in kind, Draco felt a little lost in a world that didn't belong to him. It was absolutely nothing like going to see a Healer. They waved their wands around and diagnosed you within seconds, of which Draco was exceptionally pleased about. No-one liked hospitals really and since the war, Draco (and he knew Harry too) had developed a slight fear of them.

"Elizabeth Smart?" A doctor called to the waiting room and Draco's heart felt like it might give up entirely. Harry nodded at him and they followed Elizabeth into the room. Draco noticed absentmindedly that everything was pastel coloured in Muggle hospitals. He assumed that was meant to have a calming effect as his eyes followed the pastel greens and blues that surrounded him. Elizabeth hopped onto the reclining chair (with a little help from Harry) and lay back, his hands in her lap as she watched Draco. Harry reached for Draco's hand, his thumb running across Draco's knuckles, and squeezed reassuringly, as if letting go was never an option. They were so good together, Elizabeth could sense that.

The Muggle doctor squeezed a clear gel onto Elizabeth's skin and ran a plastic instrument across the curve of her growing stomach. A grainy image flashed onto the monitor that stood alongside the doctor, a blur of black and white that made no logical sense to Draco, and he blinked at Harry's sudden change in posture.

Harry was silent but Draco could sense his excitement. He had that face, the one Draco loved so much, his eyes wide and his breath catching in his throat. Draco peered at him, ever more confused at the situation. What hadn't Harry told him about this appointment? What was so exciting about -

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a heartbeat. It sounded almost like liquid in the air. It was strong and harsh, like the beat of a tribal drum thrashing in his ears, and his own heartbeat began to quicken, a fiercely protective feeling bleeding through his body with every pump. It felt like Draco's heart would burst out of his mouth if he were to speak. That was their baby's heartbeat. It felt so tangible to Draco, as if he could reach out and grab it and hold it close to his chest, and suddenly it was gone as quick as it had filled Draco's ears. He looked over at Harry and his eyes swam with unshed tears, a smile playing on his lips.

"I wanted to keep it a surprise." Harry whispered and his tears started to roll down his cheeks, leaving tracks on his golden skin. Draco instinctively reached out and brushed them away with his thumb, that protective feeling still surging through his veins. "Hermione told me that Healers don't use ultrasounds, so you never know what your baby's heartbeat sounds like until it's born. And look..." Harry pointed at the monitor that sat above Elizabeth's head. "We get a picture to take home with us too. It doesn't move like you expect it to though."

Draco was amazed. This was better than any magic he'd experienced in his years as a wizard. It felt as though their baby's heartbeat had replaced his own, strong and fierce against his rib cage, and he knew that no wand could conjure the feeling in his belly. "And everything's okay?" he managed to say. The happiness that stirred inside him was almost choking him.

The Muggle doctor smiled warmly at Draco. "Everything seems great. Ten fingers and ten toes, as far as I can see. You heard that heartbeat for yourself. Your baby's a tough one! Your official due date…"

Everything else seemed to blend into the background for Draco. All of Draco's fears (logical and illogical) faded into oblivion and he found himself floating along, his face a permanent copy of Harry's excited face that he loved.

* * *

After the hospital appointment, they had kissed Elizabeth goodbye at the tube station (hands rubbing her belly gently) and Apparated back to their flat in Diagon Alley. Draco had barely had a chance to get himself comfortable on the sofa before Harry was on him with an eager mouth, pressing wet and hot kisses to Draco's mouth, Draco's jawline, Draco's neck. Harry climbed into Draco's lap, never breaking contact between his lips and Draco's skin. He kissed softly now, his tongue tracing Draco's lips gently and Draco responded by holding the back of Harry's head firmly and playing with the hair at the nape of his neck between his fingers. He eventually broke away and they sat in total blissful silence wrapped in one another, their aching erections just pressing together.

Harry spoke first as he played with the buttons on Draco's shirt. He unbuttoned one at a time, never once breaking eye contact with Draco as he revealed the pale skin he so loved, as he spoke. "We'll never know quietness like this again, you know. I hope you realise that, Malfoy." Harry said in a low voice that was suddenly thick with arousal and lust and need for Draco's skin on his.

Draco laughed, the sound sending sparks flying around Harry's body, and pushed his hips up ever so slightly (so slightly that Harry wasn't sure if he had felt it at all) to brush his erection against Harry's. "Is that so, Potter?" Draco muttered, his eyes hooded and his words sounded like velvet to Harry. "I suppose we'd better make the most of it while we can, then."

He leaned forward to kiss Harry with such a burning desire, pouring himself into Harry's mouth, as he pushed himself from the sofa. Draco stood with Harry's legs still wound tightly around his waist and he kneaded softly at Potter's arse, squeezing thick globes of flesh under his fingertips as he carried him to the bedroom.

Draco lay him softly on their bed and began to undress Potter, easing trousers down to focus on the erection that pressed insistently against the fabric of his boxers. He gently pulled on the boxers and Harry raised his hips, helping Draco to roll them off his body and throw them onto the floor. His eyes dragged the length of Harry's naked body and he swallowed a groan, his breathing suddenly turning shallow as he pressed kisses along his warm and golden skin. He felt fingers unbuckling his belt and he let Harry unbutton his trousers and peel off his boxers, shrugging off his shirt that Harry had been unbuttoning on the sofa and finally their chests pressed together, skin on beautiful skin. The air suddenly felt heavy with hunger for each other, a wild hunger that gnawed at their bones. They kissed violently, bruising and open mouthed kisses that felt like honey in their mouths, and Harry still felt like he wasn't close enough to Draco.

Harry thrust his hips forwards into Draco's and Draco groaned, a low and grumbling sound that reverberated through Harry and felt so fucking sexy to Potter, because that groan was for him. He bit at Draco's perfectly pale skin and heat spread between them as friction built up between their thrusting hips and painful erections. He was gasping and Harry was repeatedly pushing himself across Draco and it felt as though the world might disappear and they would be the only ones left. It felt rough and messy and rushed, a flurry of pale and golden skin marred with scars from the war, but it was so perfect, their hips frantically pushing against each other until Harry felt that familiar arch in Draco's back and his own breath was stuck in his throat as they came white hot heat against each other.

Harry and Draco lay together for a while in contented silence, their ragged breaths the only sound in the room. They clutched at each other's hands, Harry's thumb rubbing that familiar pattern on the back of Draco's hand and it felt so perfect that Draco wanted to memorise it for the rest of his life. He couldn't help but think. The war had nearly ripped everything from Harry and Draco – God, he had nearly lost Harry himself – and they were both still recovering, still waking from terrible nightmares that gripped at their souls and processing what life was like without the threat of Voldemort, but at least they were recovering together. He was almost certain that he hadn't have survived his own demons if Harry hadn't been around to carry him. That felt like a hundred lifetimes ago as Draco thought back to the hospital appointment and his ears were full of that wonderful heartbeat sound once again.

Draco blinked and realised that Harry had fallen asleep on his shoulder. His chest rose and fell perfectly. All that Draco could hear was the gentle thrumming of their baby's heartbeat echoing in his ears and he couldn't quite determine which heartbeat was his own or Harry's because they all felt like one to him now.

* * *

 _fin._


End file.
